Spiritual Formation Library Archives

The Angelus – Discerning Hearts

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:

And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary . . .

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28)

“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb”
(Lk 1:42).

The 3 Levels of the Heart with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:39 — 114.7MB) | Embed

Msgr. Esseff offers a teaching on the 3 levels of the heart. He begins by looking at the Sacred Heart of Jesus, then moves to

the examination of the layers of our hearts. In understanding of this is vitally important to appreciate how we make decisions and pray…if we are in our own will or God’s will.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website: Building a Kingdom of Love

IP#145 Bert Ghezzi – Discover Christ on Inside the Pages

It’s always a delight to talk with Bert Ghezzi, especially about Jesus. In his new book, “Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Christ” co authored with David Nodar, Bert tackles many of the big questions:

What is the meaning of life?
—Why do I need a savior?
—Why is the Resurrection important?
—What does it mean to believe and belong?
—Why does Jesus matter?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:39 — 45.9MB) | Embed

This is wonderful book to read if your are seeking a closer relationship with the Lord or to pass on to someone you know who is on that quest.

You can find the book here

IP#141 Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC – 33 Days to Morning Glory on Inside the Pages

What is Marian Consecration? What is the role the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives? How can this bring us even more fully into the heart of Divine Mercy? What a joy to talk with Fr. Michael Gaitley, who serves as director of the Association of Marian Helpers, about “33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration”. He answers the above the questions above and so much more.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:01 — 31.1MB) | Embed

The goal of the retreat contained in the book is to learn how to ponder more deeply in our hearts what it means to enter into Marian consecration. With the help of not only St. Louis de Montfort, but also St. Maximilian Kolbe, Bl. John Paul II, and Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Fr. Gaitley reveals to us the great connection between the heart of Mary and beautiful depth of Divine Mercy…and the key to it all is…TRUST.

Find the book here

To learn more about the “All Hearts A Fire” parish programs that Fr. Michael spoke of click here

“Teach Us How To Pray” – A series on prayer with Msgr. John Esseff Episode 5 – A 90 Day Challenge – to grow in union with Jesus Christ. – Discerning Hearts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:57 — 52.8MB) | Embed

Msgr. Esseff offers a 90 day challenge! The object of Lent and the Easter season is to become more and more transformed into Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit we may glorify the Father through our honor

and praise and obeying his Divine will, through the intercession of Mary and all the Saints, for the salvation of the World. But instead of 40 days, but to set our sights on 90 days…all the way to Pentecost. To become a 90 Day Wonder!

Remember the object is union with Jesus Christ. It’s not about a 40 yard dash, but a 24/7 marathon. What are some of the challenges that might arise, what are the remedies?

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “B uilding A Kingdom of Love”

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of Readings

IP#139 Paula Huston – Simplifying Your Soul on Inside the Pages

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:41 — 44.3MB) | Embed

Here is the book for Lent (and any other time of the year for that matter), “Simplifying Your Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit” is “simply” wonderful! Paula Huston has such a gentle way of helping us to penetrate into what our hearts so we can draw closer to what we truly long for…a deeper relationship with God…the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A Benedictine oblate, Paula, draws from the best of the monastic traditions and helps us to apply those practices in our modern day circumstances. I have to believe that Sts. Benedict and Scholastic would be overjoyed how this 21-century daughter of the church has responded to their initial teachings offered so a long ago. NOT TO BE MISSED…HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

You can find it here

From the book description:

Our temptation in this era of self-fulfillment is to dismiss humility as a relic of the unsophisticated past. Yet for centuries, Christians have considered it a key component of a healthy spiritual life, and the journey toward humility to be one and the same as the journey toward Christlikeness.

The beauty of the Lenten season is that it encourages the development of a humble heart. Structured as an individual Lenten retreat, Simplifying the Soul presents daily readings from Jesus and the desert fathers and mothers, along with a meditation focused on a specific activity that can be carried out that day. Many of these activities come straight out of Catholic tradition, but others are adaptations of old wisdom woven into contemporary life (cleaning out a junk drawer, walking instead of driving, etc.) All are designed to lead to conversion of heart and a transformed life.

“Teach Us How To Pray” – A series on prayer with Msgr. John Esseff Episode 3 – Morning Prayer – Discerning Hearts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:57 — 56.0MB) | Embed

Msgr. Esseff teaches the importance of the Liturgy of Hours. He breaks open each portion of Morning Prayer. The Hymn, the psalm, the canticle, again the psalm … we sing praise to God with this section of Morning Prayer. Then God speaks to us in the reading. Then we respond to

with the a short psalm. Then he helps us to appreciate the power of the Benedictus. That is followed by the intentions of the Church. Concluding with the great Our Father. We then bless the Lord and give Him thanks. Jesus unites the world in our prayer of praise to the Father when we enter into the Divine Office.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “B uilding A Kingdom of Love”

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of Readings

“Teach Us How To Pray” – A series on prayer with Msgr. John Esseff Episode 2 – The Psalms and Prayer – Discerning Hearts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:13 — 86.9MB) | Embed

Msgr. Esseff offers his second lesson in “Teach Us How To Pray”.

He speaks of the importance of Morning and Evening prayers in our lives. The Holy Spirit inspires us to pray and the Church teaches prayer through the Liturgy of the Hours.

Msgr. Esseff goes on to teach on the Psalms. Those who pray the psalms offer powerful praise to the Father. Who actually praises? In the deepest level of our heart, it’s actually Jesus who praises the Father in us when we pray the Psalms and the Father loves us in return. What is essential is that we listen to what God says to us in prayer…Listen.

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of ReadingsBe sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website: Building a Kingdom of Love

“Teach Us How To Pray” – A series on prayer with Msgr. John Esseff Episode 1 – Discerning Hearts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:45 — 68.5MB) | Embed

Prayer is assumed as something we know how to do, but do we? The Church has been constantly teaching her children throughout the ages. The Mass, of course, is our central act of prayer. But to truly deepen our prayer, even our worship in the Mass, we must appreciate who God is. God is a Trinity, He revealed Himself to us. He is Three Persons in One God. We experience and express their relationship when we pray “Glory be to the Father, Glory be to the Son,

Glory be the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end”. When we pray “Glory be to the Father”, He really hears us…He is present, He is truly with you. What does that mean when we pray? It is a relationship. The same is true in relation to the Son and the Holy Spirit. Msgr. Esseff, in this first lesson on prayer, breaks this open in a very deep and important way…the importance of Trinity and presence. Msgr. Esseff also begins an introduction to the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Psalms.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website: “Building A Kingdom of Love”

IP#135 Christopher West – The Heart of the Gospel on Inside the Pages

Christopher West is a pioneer in the area known as “The Theology of the Body”, a teaching found in the Wednesday audiences of Bl. John Paul II over the course of many years. In “The Heart of the Gospel: Reclaiming the body of the New Evangelization”, Christopher shares his insights and deeper understandings found in over 20 years of experience with this work and it’s relevance for our faith lives today. In the course of the book, he also answers those objections to his approach in the past. He dives deeply into the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, the teachings of the Saints, and above all, Sacred Scripture to find a richer expression of this important work and its message for our world today. Below is the complete interview I had with Christopher which lasted close to an hour. His humble, candid, honest approach to our discussion reveals his care and concern for the subject and great love for the work given to us by our late great Holy Father, Bl. John Paul II.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:34 — 53.6MB) | Embed

You can find Christopher’s book here

“The light of the Gospel, which is a clear but at times painful light, can illumine human sexuality to its very depth in order to transform it and bring it to its full beauty. Here lies the great strength of Blessed John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. In this peaceful and positive response to critics, Christopher West proves once again that he is a faithful and inspiring interpreter and communicator of this great pope’s teaching, a teaching so urgently needed for an effective proclamation of the Gospel.” —Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, cardinal archbishop of Vienna; general editor, Catechism of the Catholic Church; and grand chancellor, International Theological Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family

“Christopher West has gone to the desert … and come back stronger than ever. Those who may previously have thought his work was one-sided in its celebration of the body and sexuality will find here, brought out more clearly than ever, the deep balance and integration that has always been the foundation of his work.” – Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of Saint Louis, Chairman, USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations